Tag Archives: friends

Have you seen this hashtag? I see it on Twitter quite a bit. At first it bugged me. Being overtly unapologetic isn’t really my style, so reading someone say something they know is unpopular and possibly offensive and then using a hashtag like this to practically dare others to not be offended… ugh, it’s just too much. Leave the provocateur stuff to the professionals (like Joan Rivers– she’s been using hashtags since before they were pound signs!). And then other people were using it for no real reason. “Ate a hot dog today. #SorryNotSorry” Um, whaaaa? Unless that hot dog was made from real dog, lady… #RelaxYourFace.

Then I started to realize why people were using it. Because the word “sorry” is one of the most incorrectly used words in the English language these days (“opinion” is a close second). To this day I remember a HS friend who would start most of her statements with, “I’m sorry, but…” or “No offense or anything, but…” It’s like a huge neon sign flashing the words, “I’M ABOUT TO PISS YOU OFF!!” I wonder what ever happened to her…

And then, when people have no reason to be sorry, they use the word anyway. Here– take a look:

At the risk of sounding like a non-woman… women talk like that? Blech! Why?!?!

I got a friend request on Facebook a few days ago from a name I didn’t recognize. Now I’ll admit that I’ve met a lot of people and I don’t remember all their names. So I gave the guy the benefit of the doubt and asked him if I knew him. I was pretty sure I knew what the answer was going to be, since the only info I could get from his page aside from his name was that he was “In a Complicated Relationship” (red flag, much??). His response was something along the lines of “no, Dear. I just want to get to know you.” I don’t think he intended it to resonate with the “I’m middle aged and horny! I’m here to pick up chicks online!” skeeviness. But…ew.

And damned if I didn’t almost start my response with “Sorry, but…”

What did I have to be sorry for? That it’s not 1998? That this isn’t MySpace? That I’m not some naive 18 year old who thinks being “Facebook popular” is the pinnacle of social success? I know every single person on my Facebook friend list. I knew them in HS or college. They’re extended relatives. They’re networking contacts. That’s just how I roll on Facebook. So I replied, “no thank you. I’m only friends with people I actually know.”

I love social media. I love posting, commenting, sharing, liking, and following.

And I try to be careful about it. No Facebook friends that I don’t know personally. No pictures of the kids’ faces on the blog. Privacy settings and blocking whenever possible and necessary.

As such, I place a high value on the act of following. I have no problem “unfollowing” people if they bother me. And I am truly thankful for all the people who choose to follow me, on my blog, my Twitter feed, even on Pinterest (which I don’t use much).

There are currently 72 official followers of my blog, and that is so cool. I hope you’re enjoying it. Please feel free to contact me and tell me what you think of the posts or if you have any questions or suggestions.